Life in the Slow Lane (The Pearl): October 2014

Oct. 31 – Matagorda, TX

Matagorda Harbor Marina

Miles to Rockport, TX – 79

“Unless you walk out into the unknown, the odds of making a profound difference in your life are pretty low” –Tom Peters

We're getting close...tonight we are docked close enough to our home town that friends, Joan and Jim Auld drove up and had dinner with us. They travel in a RV and have tried to meet up with us several times in the past years on the east coast, but timing just hasn't worked out. It was fun having them aboard and going out to eat. We also had time to visit with an old high school friend and his wife who are moving their sailboat back to the Houston area. This trip has definitely been different than the trip going east on The Pearl in 2011. On that trip we didn't see any other boaters on the docks until Tarpon Springs...this trip we've met people at every stop. I'm not sure if that's because more people are boating again or the time of year, but it's been fun meeting new people.

Tomorrow we'll be back in home waters as we cross Matagorda Bay. Our plan is to stay in Port O'Connor tomorrow night, which is right on the ICW. Our home is at the upper part of Lavaca Bay, which flows into Matagorda Bay. Stan grew up fishing these waters...so we will technically be home tomorrow. What a great feeling that will be.

This is DOW Chemicals in Freeport...I like their lighthouse

These are Roseate Spoonbills...most had their heads down and hiding from the wind.

This guy had his eye on us all the way past the bridge

We've had several locks that were having work done on them...all barge traffic is held up at them during the day, but we've been allowed to pass. Not a lot of space but at least it didn't hold us up.

The ICW is very close to the gulf here.

A little bait camp on the ICW

This looks like a fun little place

A map of our home area

Oct. 30 – Galveston, TX

Offatts Bayou – Anchorage

Miles to Rockport, TX – 164

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life." –Steve Jobs

The ICW from Port Arthur to Port Bolivar is in a man made canal...wide, plenty deep and very busy. Barge traffic was heavy again today...if this is any indication, the economy is doing well. Once we passed Bolivar we were in Galveston Bay and crossed the Houston Ship Channel. It's also a busy place, but after dealing with New York Harbor this seemed mild.

We are anchored in Offats Bayou, which is a well protected bay close to Galveston. Last night we were out in the boonies...pitch black and the only sounds we could hear were the chirping of cricket and the buzzing of mosquitoes. Tonight we can tell we're back in civilization we're surrounded by lights and we can hear the traffic on the highway, trains passing and helicopters flying overhead. What a difference a day can make.

Just a little traffic on the ICW today

The coastal plains of Texas are pretty flat...you can see for miles, making sunrises and sunsets fantastic.

Shrimp boat on Bolivar Peninsula

Point Bolivar Lighthouse

The Houston Ship Channel

Moody Gardens in Galveston is located on Offast Bayou

Pretty homes on Offast Bayou

Oct. 29 - Port Arthur, TX

Taylor Bayou - Anchorage

Miles to Rockport, TX - 231

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ―Albert Einstein

We're home...well almost. Just being back in Texas feels like home. We could be in Rockport by Saturday, but may take an extra day depending on the wind coming in with another cold front. We have quite a few large bays to cross before docking in Rockport.

We left the bayous of Louisiana today and entered the VERY industrial waters of the northeastern coast of Texas. Orange, Port Arthur, Houston, Texas City and Freeport are full of petrochemical production facilities and boat traffic is substantial. Now in addition to the heavy barge traffic, we have large sea going tankers to deal with. It's definitely not a cruiser's paradise. Although there are petrochemical plants all along the Texas coast the scenery will improve once we get closer to Matagorda Bay, where shrimping, crabbing and oystering are big industries. The scenery will also improve as we pass through five national refuges on our way to Rockport.

Our morning began with heavy fog, so Stan had a chance to put the radar to the test

We saw this BBQ in the ICW this morning. Just bring your own meat or maybe kill it in the woods, tie off and barbecue. No telling what you'll find in the bayous of Louisiana.

This was typical barge traffic today.

Our first view of Texas, not the prettiest, but typical of this part of the coast...it will get better.

A few of the ships we past this afternoon

This ship looked like he was pulling a dinghy. Not sure why it was pulling the tug.

Oct. 28 – Lake Arthur, LA

Mermentau River – Anchorage

Miles to Rockport, TX - 319

“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.” ―Oprah Winfrey

We left Morgan City at sunrise and traveled 110 miles west. The only signs of civilization today were a fuel dock and small grocery in Intercoastal City, where we stopped for diesel (we paid $2.97 a gallon). There may not have been any towns, but we saw plenty of barges and smaller boats that check the gas wells that cover this part of Louisiana. Our youngest son worked the wells in this area the summer after he graduated from high school.

Yesterday was a great photo day, but today there just wasn't a lot to focus on. Pretty much the same all day...barges, tows, shrub trees, and a canal. We did spot seven eagles, but even they were hard to get a good picture of today. We have seen more eagles in Louisiana than anywhere else we have cruised.

We finally got to our anchorage just after the sunset as it was beginning to get dark and the mosquitoes were beginning to swarm. We decided we’d relax and have dinner inside this evening. It looks like we'll be back in Texas tomorrow, but the anchorage we are headed for is on the Louisiana side of the Sabine River, so one more night before we actually sleep in Texas on the Texas Pearl.

I love these little red tugs...they remind me of the tug that could in the children's story book

Typical scenery today

It's beginning to look like fall even in the bayous of Louisiana

Watching the sun set before we got to our anchorage

The captain

Oct. 27 - Morgan City, LA

City Dock
Miles to Rockport, TX - 430

“For one minute, walk outside, stand there in silence. Look up at the sky and contemplate how amazing life is.” – Author Unknown

We left Houma later than normal since we were just going 38 miles today. At one time we considered that to be a good day’s travel, but the past few years we've gotten used to longer days. We had a chance to visit this morning with Kathy and Terry off of Green Door again and enjoy our coffee as we waited for the fog to lift. The scenery today changed from swamps to woods and was a lot less industrial. It was a beautiful remote area of Louisiana and we spotted 20 eagles along the way...a new personal record for us. Today was a great day for pictures, so I'll let them show the rest of our day.

A picture of the City Dock in Houma. It's located between two bridges along a nice park. Right off the ICW.

Just a few pictures of the 20 eagles we saw today. Most were in pairs and some were juveniles. So amazing.

I guess they don't want you to get lost in the bayous

The ICW in Louisiana is lined with shipyards...so many shipyards. Building ships, tugs and barges of all sizes. Some of them dismantle old barges and ships and some....

build casinos on barges

and others build oil platforms

One of the different looking ships we saw today...look close...very close.

This guy was working over the edge while they were cruising along. No reason to waste time in any of these shipyards!

Southwest Reef Lighthouse located in Berwick across the Atchafalaya River from us.

A few of the other boats on the city dock in Morgan City

The view from our boat this evening

Oct. 26 – Houma, LA

Houma City Dock

Miles to Rockport, TX - 468

“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.” ―Henry David Thoreau

We had a long day filled with locks, barges and industrial lined shores. Our first lock this morning was the Industrial Lock that raised us up to the Mississippi River. Once out of the lock we cruised past New Orleans...the best view of the day. We exited the Mississippi about six miles up stream at the Harvey Lock. This lock isn't used by commercial traffic, so there isn't usually a wait. We found out a few days ago that it will be closed for maintenance for three weeks starting tomorrow. We lucked out...the alternate route wouldn't have been fun. After crossing the river we had about a 58 mile cruise to Hoama.

There are few options in this area for docking or anchoring. This part of the ICW is a man made cut which is either very commercial or very remote. Most of the commercial areas have something to do with shipbuilding or repair...barges and tugs in all stages of life are everywhere. The barge traffic is very heavy, even if there was a small cove to anchor, it wouldn't be safe because the barges travel day and night along the river. There's constant chatter on the VHF radio...totally different than what you hear in Florida or on the east coast. It’s kind of entertaining…what you can understand of it.

We had to wait for the first lock this morning with another large pleasure boat, tied off to some pilings. Kathy and I visited as we waited and discovered we were headed to the same dock for the evening...not a big surprise since it's all there really is in the area. After securing the boats we had a chance to relax and visit for awhile. They live aboard full time and are on their way to Texas...although on a much slower pace than us.

Approaching the Industrial Lock